Kate, played by Jo Johnston, is a feminist, hippy, journalism student who infiltrates the schools cheerleading squad in order to write an expose on the how cheerleading degrades women. While digging up dirt on the whole football/cheerleader culture she discovers a plot by the coach, the dean, and a math teacher to fix the games in order to win big money. Along the way Jo discovers that the cheerleaders aren’t all bimbos and realizes her hippy boyfriend is a scumbag.

I’m a big fan of Jack Hill. Spider Baby is one of my all time favorite movies. The Swinging Cheerleaders is a very different type of film. It fits in with the goofy sex comedy genre but unlike other classic sex comedies, such as Porky’s, there is much less emphasis on the sex. There is definitely a fair share of breast and we get a glimpse of male bush but that really isn’t what the movie is about. There is a great scene which Jack Hill talks about in the special feature in which one of the football jocks beats the snot out of a hippy. It’s quite amusing and very poorly choreographed.

The brand new 2K restoration from original film materials is decent but not great. A lot of the football scenes in the movie are particularly bad but I think this was probably just because how it was filmed. Overall nothing to write home about.

As for special features there is an audio commentary by writer-director Jack Hill, recorded exclusively for this release. Then we have a brand new 8 minute interview with Jack Hill in which he talks about his carrier. Nothing new here if you’re a fan of Mr. Hill but interesting for the casual viewer. Next up is an archive interview with cinematographer Alfred Taylor. This is extended parts of an interview he did for the SpiderBaby DVD. It’s has some interesting facts but boy is he boring to listen to. There is also an archive interview with Hill and Johnny Legend. If you know and like Johnny Legend, then you won’t be disappointed by this. In true Johnny Legend form this interview is not very conventional and is basically a fan interviewing Jack Hill. It is also the most interesting interview on the disc. Rounding out the special features is Q&A with Hill, and actors Colleen Camp and Rosanne Katon recorded at the New Beverly Cinema between a double bill of Switchblade Sisters and The Swinging Cheerleaders. The Q&A is quite interesting, but I recommend listening to it and not watching it. It is recorded from the audience with audience members frequently framing the screen and the shaky camera work which tends to get nauseating. Think of a parent filming their child’s recital while drunk. Also included on the disc are TV spots and the usual reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Graham Humphreys.

Overall the movie is goofy and is worth a watch if you’re a fan of the genre or a fan of Jack Hill but otherwise I’d say it’s safe to skip it. If you are a fan of Jack Hill, I highly recommend it just to see the range of filmmaking that Mr. Hill produced throughout his carrier.

FRANCESCA is a new giallo film from Argentinian brothers Luciano and Nicolás Onetti (Sonno Profondo, 2013). The film, which made its world premiere at SITGES Film Festival in October 2015, is now coming to home video courtesy of Unearthed Films and MVD Entertainment

Group.

It’s been 15 years since the disappearance of little Francesca, daughter of the renowned poet and playwright, Vittorio Visconti. The community is stalked by a psychopath bent on cleaning the city of “impure and damned souls”. Moretti and Succo are the detectives in charge of finding the killer of these “Dantesque” crimes. Francesca has returned, but she is not be the same girl they once knew.

FRANCESCA has won several film festival awards including Best Director at Buenos Aires Rojo Sangre 2015, Best Production Design at Tabloid Witch Awards – Hollywood Investigator 2015, Weird Visions Award at Ravenna Nightmare 2015, Best Giallo Film at Crypticon Kansas City 2016, and Special Mention at Horrorant 2016 in Greece.

I saw Attack of the Killer Tomatoes many years ago and don’t remember much about it other than not particularly liking it. As a result I didn’t go into this movie expecting much and even with my lowered expectations I was wildly disappointed by this movie.

The movie takes place many years after the first one and the world is now tomatoes free and they are only available on the black market. A mad scientist (John Astin, The Adams Family 1964) has discovered a way to transform tomatoes into whatever sort of person he wants by adding some chemicals and playing music. He makes everything from huge shirtless Rambo types to his lovely assistant (Karen M. Waldor, Cannibal Woman in the Avocado Jungle of Death 1989) who eventually escapes and goes to a local pizza guy, Chad (Anthony Starke, Nowhere to Run 1993) for help.

I was immediately annoyed by the movie because it starts like a Creature Feature or Elvira movie with a host introducing the film. This gimmick is rarely done well and unfortunately it was not accomplished here. After the opening shenanigans we get to the actual movie and it starts off somewhat promising but never ends up pulling off what it was trying to accomplish. And unlike its predecessor, unfortunately, there is no giant killer tomatoes.

Really the best part of the movie is George Clooney who plays Chad’s best friend. It’s amusing to see him so young and with such a ridiculous hair cut but it’s also seems like he had fun making the movie.

The 2k transfer is good but it’s really nothing to write home about. There a few overly grainy parts and I probably wouldn’t have noticed so much if I had actually been enjoying the movie.

This disc is not heavy on the special features but we get a brand new audio commentary with writer-director John De Bello and a brand new interview with star Anthony Starke. The interview with Anthony Starke was an incredibly pointless interview that really just had him talking about hanging out with George Clooney. It also comes with a reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Matthew Griffin and a fully-illustrated collector s booklet featuring new writing by critic James Oliver.

Overall this is my least favorite Arrow release and one I most certainly won’t watch again. Again, I don’t really remember the first one but I imagine that if you liked that one you’ll probably get a kick out of this one. Otherwise I’d steer clear of this release and that pains me to say because I so truly love Arrow’s releases.

VIOLENT SHIT – THE MOVIE, directed by Luigi Pastore, a bigger budget revamp of the cult-schlock-gore classics from the 80s, shot in Italy featuring a soundtrack by Claudio Simonetti’s Goblin.

Synopsis: Rome is shattered by a series of gruesome murders that paint the Eternal City deep red. The suspicion grows that these atrocious crimes are connected with the return of one of the most heinous serial killers of our time – Karl the Butcher!

Winner of the Best Feature Horror at Burbank International Film Festival

Following a limited theatrical run, MVD Entertainment Group will release A House Is Not A Home, a DeInstitutionalized LLC production, on DVD and digital platforms on September 27th. The film stars Bill Cobbs (Night at the Museum), Richard Grieco (It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, 21 Jump Street), Eddie Steeples (My Name Is Earl, Raising Hope), Aurora Perrineau (Jem and the Holograms, Equals), Diahnna Nicole Baxter (Scandal), Gerald Webb (Criminal Minds: Beyond Borders, Sniper: Special Ops), Melvin Gregg (3.7 million Vine followers) and is directed by Christopher Douglas-Olen Ray (Mercenaries). The diversely cast horror film premiered at the Burbank International Film Festival to rave reviews taking top honors as the Best Horror Feature.

In the film, Ben and Linda Williams move the family into a dream home in a last ditch effort to save their troubled marriage. Despite their good intentions, they cannot shake the feeling that they are being watched by something. Their unimaginable fears are realized when things inside the house take a supernatural and sinister turn. Ben and his family flee for their lives, but it is too late. The house isn’t finished with them, trapping the family in its labyrinth. The Williams must come together as never before to fight for their family, their lives and to escape.

Gerald Webb, DeInstitutionalized Managing Partner, says:

“Rarely are diverse films, that fall outside of a very narrowly defined Hollywood mold, green lit by tradition studios and distributors. We created A House Is Not A Home as a direct challenge to those industry stereotypes to fill the void lacking diverse horror and thriller feature films. We are very pleased that MVD’s progressive team has the foresight and commitment to diversity to join us in releasing this groundbreaking film. With the industry currently grappling with diversity issues, A House Is Not A Home’s release is a needed win for diversity and fans of horror and thriller films everywhere.”

DeInstitutionalized is a production company based out of Burbank, California. Partners Chris Ray and Gerald Webb have been working together in various capacities for nearly a decade. In conjunction with producing their own original content, the members have also provided production services to other highly reputable television and film companies.

Eric D. Wilkinson, Director of Home Video Sales and Acquisitions at MVD, says:

“I’m thrilled to be working with the team at Deinstitutionalized on the release of the thriller “A House is Not a Home”. MVD Entertainment has a long history of successfully supporting independent films and independent filmmakers and Christopher and Gerald have crafted a fun thriller with a diverse cast that I look forward to bringing to the marketplace across all platforms.”